Ceremony Tuesday at The Great Lakes Maritime Academy. [9 & 10 News]
Among those remembered during the roll call was Cadet David E. Weiss, a Great Lakes Maritime Academy student who was aboard the SS Edmund Fitzgerald when it foundered.
Kyle Johnstone, a cadet at the Great Lakes Maritime Academy who serves as president of the Propeller Club and acted as master of ceremonies for the 51st annual event, emphasized the importance of remembering historical maritime losses. “Regardless if you are pursuing a career on the lakes or you’re pursuing a career on the oceans. The lessons of those who have sacrificed before us are essential for us to be successful in our careers,” Johnstone said.
He described the atmosphere during the reading of the roll call and how the ceremony connects attendees directly to the fallen mariners. “The wind kind of picked up behind me and it almost feels like those names are there behind you. That’s exactly what these memorials should be invoking. For those of us, the cadets, the families, the communities…. they’re still there,” Johnstone said.
Johnstone also highlighted the personal connection between the academy and the Great Lakes shipping industry, pointing specifically to the loss of a student aboard the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. “We’re directly tied to every part of the Great Lakes fleet. We had a cadet David Wiess, who went down on the Fitzgerald. The connections are just fairly bound and tied between the academy,” Johnstone said.
Jerry Achenback, a retired U.S. Coast Guard officer and rear admiral in the U.S. Maritime Service, delivered the memorial address to open the ceremony. “We stand here today, a tradition is older to remember and to honor the men and women who went down to the sea and ships and never returned to port,” Achenback said. “We stand here today, a tradition is older to remember and to honor the men and women who went down to the sea and ships and never returned to port,” he added.
Achenback addressed the attending cadets directly, reminding them that their daily training and uniforms represent a commitment to carry forward the legacy of past mariners. “You cadets standing alongside us, look closely at the legacy that left behind the uniform you wear. The training you undergo are not merely routine. They are your preparation to carry forward the responsibility that those who came before you upheld so faithfully,” Achenback said.
River Farrow, a second-year cadet and engineering midshipman at the academy, spoke about the gravity of standing at the front of the memorial service. “It’s definitely not something to take lightly. Being front and center for a memorial, that’s a big deal, We’re honoring those we’ve lost. So it’s not something to take lightly,” Farrow said. “The biggest importance is remembering it wasn’t just a ship it was 29 souls and 29 families impacted.”
He also added, “it’s not only important to remember those lives, but the service is a reminder to those families that the maritime community remember.”
Farrow noted that the central ritual of ringing the bell 29 times for the Fitzgerald crew carries significant emotional weight for everyone present. He added that the ceremony serves as a reminder of the inherent dangers of working on the water and the service merchant mariners provide to the broader public. “Today kind of brings to light that there are sacrifices that people make, for most people at the time, but some sailors did pay, the ultimate price,” Farrow said.
The ceremony concluded with the official vessel roll call for the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, honoring command deck officers, engineering department personnel, deck crew watchmen, engine room maintenance workers and Weiss. The annual memorial service concluded with a pledge by academy speakers to carry the memory of fallen mariners on every future voyage and maintain the professional standards of the maritime craft.
9 & 10 News
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